Cocaine distribution in wild Erythroxylum species
by
Bieri S, Brachet A, Veuthey JL, Christen P.
Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Analytical Chemistry,
School of Pharmaceutical Sciences EPGL,
University of Geneva,
20 Bd d'Yvoy, 1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2005 Sep 28;

ABSTRACT

Cocaine distribution was studied in leaves of wild Erythroxylum species originating from Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Mexico, USA, Venezuela and Mauritius. Among 51 species, 28 had never been phytochemically investigated before. Cocaine was efficiently and rapidly extracted with methanol, using focused microwaves at atmospheric pressure, and analysed without any further purification by capillary gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. Cocaine was reported for the first time in 14 species. Erythroxylum laetevirens was the wild species with the highest cocaine content. Its qualitative chromatographic profile also revealed other characteristic tropane alkaloids. Finally, its cocaine content was compared to those of two cultivated coca plants as well as with a coca tea bag sample.

Taxa
History
Medicine
Supercoke
Coca leaves
Acupuncture
Cocaine hotspots
Erythroxylum coca
Dopaminergic flies?
Dopaminergic agents
The coke-craving brain
Cocaine as a dietary supplement
The bacterial junkie: Rhodococcus sp. strain MB1

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